Cabo Clasico 2011

The 2011 Cabo Clasico contest took place during a giant south swell for the second year in a row. Unlike last year, the decision was made to throw caution to the wind and hold the event at Solmar, one of the most exposed beaches in the region. It turned out to be a good decision.

Wind was a problem this year, to varying degrees. On the morning of day one, the wind was a no show and the competitors and attendees made the best of it. As the contest was being organized upwards of 40 riders made the best of the sheet glass straight wave conditions. Many of the best waves of the event were during the freeskimming session on day one.

As the initial heats got under way a slight breeze could be felt. As the round progressed the slight breeze developed into a stiff westerly wind (sideshore). This mixed things up for the competitors, but with many of the best riders in the world pushing their own personal limits, there were still plenty of waves to be had. After the first round was over however, the call was made to break for the professionals until 5pm to see if the wind woul lie down in the evening. Come 5pm however, the motivation level was low and the wind still strong. The pros took a vote and decided to run the next heats in the morning. That may or may not have been the best decision, since the wind did die down considerably shortly thereafter, resulting in good to epic conditions. But what was done was done. The freeskimming made up for it, for those who stuck around.

On Saturday morning the conditions were a good deal smaller, the sky was partly cloudy and the breeze was there, though not as strong as the day before. With the second round of competition things really started to heat up as the three man heats were all stacked. A few big names dropped out and a few relative unknowns made their way through by skimming solidly and consistently. The change-up was refreshing.

The next round of competition had us down to four heats of three and every heat was a tight one. In the end however, four of these guys would not make the cut, and then there were eight. At this point the contest shifted to a man on man format, which is something pretty unique to Cabo, afforded by the lack of huge amateur divisions found in many other UST events. There were some particularly interesting match ups.

Mainland Mexico standout professional rookie Chopa was paired with Bill Bryan,the biggest name the sport has ever seen. Down here in Cabo the crowd was clearly rooting for Chopa and for the initial minutes of the event, he clearly had the lead. Chopa was linking up with very difficult to reach waves and riding them with skill beyond his years as Bill Bryan faltered on his first rides. The crowd was going nuts. Bill finally found what he was looking for in the form of a solid backside wrap followed by a textbook Beaker wrap on a head high frontside. The crowd wasnt swayed as Chopa continued to rack up many solid scores. In the end however, only three waves could count, and Bill found the the three he needed to make it to the next round. Still, a solid performance by Chopa, what will surely be the first of many.

Sam Stinnett was paired with his older brother Jake Stinnett in a man on man battle for perhaps more than “just a trip to the finals”. Jake continued his impressive performance while younger brother Sam waited patiently and in the end prevailed in a heat that was too close to call for this observer. When I asked Sam about it after his heat he simply said with a smile “any way you cut it there will be a Stinnett in the finals”. And so it was.

Isaa Zoller and Morgan Just squared off in a close heat with Morgan racking up many scores while Isaac searched for the big score. When the opportunity came, Isaac came up short on the wave he would have needed to possibly grab a spot in the final four.

Finally Cabo San Lucas local Juan Carlos Nazario (bullo) took on three time UST champ Paulo Prietto. Bullo took the lead early and never looked back demonstrating impressive skill and wave knowledge while veteran Paulo Prietto struggled to find a good score for the first time in the contest.

Then there were four.

Conditions for this round were not the best of the event but the skimboarding skill made up for it as each heat was too close to call for this observer.

First Bill took on Morgan, with Morgan getting the edge. Next Sam Stinnett squared off agains Bullo with Sam somehow getting the waves the judges preferred. Bill edged out Bullo for third in a man on man heat followed by the showdown between Sam and Morgan for first, with Morgan taking the heat and the contest. Congtratulations to Morgan on his first Cabo win and Sam on his second consectutive runner up placing.

Final Results:

Morgan Just

Sam Stinnett

Bill Bryan

Juan Carlos Nazario (Bullo)

Isaac Zoller

Paulo Prietto

Jake Stinnett

Chopa

Thanks to the sponsors of the 2011 Cabo Clasico for their support again this year.

if you would like to listen to music at a skim event bring an portable ipod player- that way you can choose your own music! personally i hate when there is shitty music drowning your thoughts and words… contest was epic! in my eyes it was another successful event (mexi style)

i just have to say the contest was a chill gathering but was a poor contest it was ran very poorly nobody knew what was goin on and yeah any contest needs music doesnt matter if people dont like it (isaac) and just what you said it was Mexi style and thats lame! are you saying Mexi style is half ass style cuz thats what it was?we have been tryin for years to help out the contest and they dont want to let has have any part in this and that is why there is so much negativity towards this!!yeah we all a great time but me being a Local from Cabo we wait all year for this contest,there is only one big contest down here from the UST and when it finally comes to town and its a joke we feel offended because we feel that you feel its ok cuz its Mexico we can half ass it that is lame!!!! ALL WE WANT TO DO IS HELP THE CONTEST!!!
NONE OF YOU KNOW THE FACTS SO UNTIL YOU DO PLEASE CLOSE YOUR MOUTH WARDO IS STANDING UP FOR THE LOCALS OF CABO HIS WAY OF DOING IT MAY NOT BE THE BEST BUT THIS IS GETTING REALLY OLD!!NOW LETS STOP ALL THIS LAME ASS BACK AND FORTH AND HAVE SOME EPIC CONTESTS,AND THAT TAKES WORKING TOGETHER SO LET US KNOW WHEN YOU GUYS ARE READY!!!!!!!!CUZ WE SURE ARE!!SHOUT OUT TO DIEGO!

Posted by SCRAPPY on 27 May 11 at 12:38pm

Short little angry photographer from SD w Napoleon Syndrome and a big mouth that he wont run anywhere but the internet……….. CHECK!!!!
I heard you and drugs on yourself were the reason the whole Zap team almost went to jail in Cabo a couple years back.

hey man! quick question, did you touch up the photos on PS at all or are they all naturale and camera worked only? Either way, wow man greaaat pics man, im stealing one for my background in my laptop if you dont mind. mad props!

Wardo – What is the deal with the negativity? Why don’t you guys try to hook up with Vic (the people who are in charge of the contest) and try to work something out. No doubt with the help of the locals the contest could be run better, I just think that the checklist of things that you saw wrong with the contest is a little much….

This contest has always been more of a rugged gathering than other contests, but that is why I like it so much. If the idea is to turn it into the vic contest south of the border help will be needed from locals……

Thanks to Diego and his crew and thanks to the folks at vic as well for another great time

I’ve never been to a real skimboarding competition like this before, so I dont have much to compare to, but i think whats most important is that great people, ang great fun came all together nevertheless, and no one got hurt or seriously injured as far as im concerned..I’ll be sure to try to get involved and help make accomodations better for those unhappy campers, when/if I move there. And Paulo thanks a ton for the pointers out there, they’ve seriously helped. I hope to see you all out there again soon. Thanks to the locals, the visitors from the states, and everyone else from the different parts of Mexico, you are all great people and friends.
Anyone ever find yourself traveling by or through Hermosillo, Sonora (tho there are not great waves nearby) or need a translator (haha) or anything i could help with, keep in touch. look me up, same name on fb

On my personal Opinion this Contest was a blast! It really takes a lot to put it all together and if us locals want to make it better, we should at least give our support to it. Big shout out to Diego that made a great job. I’ve seen Diego really work hard for it and i helped him in what i could.
And i mean is Cabo!!! what more do you need that enjoy cabo itself